Get free Budweiser beer on Sept. 29 at National Happy Hour

When Adolphus Busch introduced the Budweiser “Bohemian-style” pale lager in 1876, it quickly became a hit in America. According to a 2008 report the St. Louis Business Journal, beers by the Busch family corporation Anheuser-Busch held a 50.9 percent market share for all beers sold in the United States. Later that same year, however, Anheuser-Busch sold most of its stock to Belgian-Brazilian beer magnate InBev. Thus, America’s “King of Beers” became “de Koning van Bieren” and sales sagged. In order to bring drinkers back into the fold, reports St. Louis Today, Anheuser-Busch InBev will be giving away free beer – yes, free Budweiser – on Sept. 29 during National Happy Hour.

Free Budweiser and a massive advertising push

Participating bars and restaurants will distribute about 500,000 free Budweiser beer samples in 6- and 12-ounce sample sizes as local and state rules allow. The advertising campaign “Grab some Buds” will run Sept. 25 through Oct. 3 in a massive effort to raise Budweiser U.S. market share, which had dropped to 9.3 percent after a high of 26 percent in 1988. Drinkers in their mid-20s are the corporation’s primary target, as market studies have found that approximately 40 percent of beer drinkers aged 21 to 27 have never even touched de Koning van Bieren.

“We want to close that gap,” Anheuser-Busch InBev President Dave Peacock told St. Louis Today.

If you’re ever down in Texas, get the deep-fried beer hookup

If you’re of drinking age and happen to make it to the 2010 Texas State Fair, find Mark Zable. He’ll be preparing ravioli-sized deep-fried beer, which could (in moderation) make a fine complement to de Koning van Bieren or your beer of choice. Salty pretzel dough pockets are filled with beer, then dunked in 375-degree oil for 20 seconds. That’s long enough to cook the batter, but not long enough to burn away the alcoholic content of the filling. The London Telegraph reports that diners find the treat delicious, and that Zable is attempting to patent the cooking process, which may or may not include other secret ingredients.